Erik,
What a most informative thread you have going here! Thanks to the fellows above who share their take on the progression of the design of amplifiers. I won't be parting with my delightful Dennis Had Inspire EL84 SET anytime soon, but this Class D amplification has come of age and will only get better in the future.
Several of the Class D amps mentioned above are uber-expensive and clearly out of my budget, but likely not for others. This technology will emerge in more modestly-priced gear in time, such as with the Wyred4Sound gear that can be had for a song. BTW, a pal sent me a note recently telling me that he had acquired a pair of Nu-Force mono's and they bested his high-end Pass Labs amp by a fair margin.
I read elsewhere that RF interference can be a problem with these amps, as well as the need for power conditioners and better power cords, so this may be an issue to be aware of. Cheers, Mark